The last thing on the mind of surgeon Dr Faibruz Bagheri was breaking a Guinness World Record as he began operating on an Emirati kidney patient at Dubai Hospital.
But that is exactly what happened, and Ahmed Saeed Mohammed Omar now waits for a kidney transplant in China after having both of his record-breaking rugby ball-sized organs removed.
The 56-year-old had been recommended for surgery two years before but had ignored medical advice.
In that time his kidneys continued to grow, making it difficult for him to walk and breathe as they compressed his other organs.
Suffering from hypertension and polycystic kidney disease, his organs had stopped working in 2014 and Mr Saeed had been on hemodialysis at Dubai Hospital.
An ultrasound revealed the unusual size of both kidneys. Without surgery, it is likely his condition would have proved fatal.
Dr Bagheri, Dubai Hospital’s head of urology, said although Mr Saeed’s condition was unusual, the number of patients seeking advice and help from his department has risen from 500 in 2010 to nearly 2,000 last year.
“Mr Saeed generously allowed us to publish his name and condition to encourage others to follow medical advice,” he said. “He was known since 2014 to have non-functioning kidneys. The scans confirmed he had huge kidneys.
“A normal kidney size is about the size of a fist and weighs about 150g - his kidneys weighed almost 7kg each.
“He refused surgery in 2014 due to the potential risks and complications. In 2016, he had serious symptoms as he was bloated and found it difficult to breathe.”
The successful surgery was performed on October 11, 2016 and Mr Saeed has recovered well. He is now awaiting travel to China next month to undergo a transplant, fully funded by the UAE Government.
Another patient with an overgrown kidney was operated on at Dubai Hospital three years ago. His kidneys weighing in at about 5kg each and would also have broken the world record but it was not considered by the medical team.
Mr Saeed’s case has only made it into the record books as the largest kidneys in the world after the surgeon’s son, Farhad – a 16-year-old pupil at American International School - told his father to contact Guinness.
“We took photos at the time for medical research but never thought about a world record,” added Dr Bagheri.
“Immediately after the surgery we took measurements; they weighed 6.95kg and 6.10kg each, so they were very unusual.
“When I told my son in the car, he said it was a great thing and we should apply for a Guinness record. He took out his smartphone and applied there and then.”
Farhad submitted the application on his reluctant father’s behalf, and it is now an official world record.
“I had seen YouTube videos about world records and knew it was a special thing so I asked my dad to apply,” he said. “The Guinness records are huge; everyone knows about it.
“Dad didn’t want me to apply and said it wasn’t important. I didn’t expect to get a reply. I didn’t tell my friends at school so they would be surprised when they read about it.”
The records would only have been valid with a photo of them weighed on an electric scale, which was not done at the time of the operation.
Luckily, the hospital had kept the organs, so they were weighed and photographed six months later. Although they now weighed just over 4kg, as they had lost fluid and some had been cut away for tests, they were still almost twice the weight of the previous world record of 2.14kg.
“My life is completely different now,” said Mr Saeed, who lives with his family in Karama, Dubai.
“I couldn’t go swimming or walk without being tired and I would always be cross with my wife. I am much happier now. I didn’t want to do anything before and kept to myself.
“Now, I can go to the beach and see my friends. I feel so much better. I wish I had done it sooner. When I have my transplant, I will have a normal life.
“When I saw the size of the kidneys, I was shocked and very surprised.”
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Brief scores:
Day 2
England: 277 & 19-0
West Indies: 154
The specs: Rolls-Royce Cullinan
Price, base: Dh1 million (estimate)
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 563hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 850Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 15L / 100km
Meydan Racecourse racecard:
6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes Listed (PA) | Dh175,000 | 1,900m
7.05pm: Maiden for 2-year-old fillies (TB) | Dh165,000 | 1,400m
7.40pm: The Dubai Creek Mile Listed (TB) | Dh265,000 | 1,600m
8.15pm: Maiden for 2-year-old colts (TB) | Dh165,000 | 1,600m
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) | Dh265,000 | 2,000m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh190,000 | 1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh190,000 | 1,600m.
Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Brief scores:
Newcastle United 1
Perez 23'
Wolverhampton Rovers 2
Jota 17', Doherty 90' 4
Red cards: Yedlin 57'
Man of the Match: Diogo Jota (Wolves)
Fight card
- Aliu Bamidele Lasisi (Nigeria) beat Artid Vamrungauea (Thailand) POINTS
- Julaidah Abdulfatah (Saudi Arabia) beat Martin Kabrhel (Czech Rep) POINTS
- Kem Ljungquist (Denmark) beat Mourad Omar (Egypt) TKO
- Michael Lawal (UK) beat Tamas Kozma (Hungary) KO
- Zuhayr Al Qahtani (Saudi Arabia) beat Mohammed Mahmoud (UK) POINTS
- Darren Surtees (UK) beat Kane Baker (UK) KO
- Chris Eubank Jr (UK) beat JJ McDonagh (Ireland) TKO
- Callum Smith (UK) beat George Groves (UK) KO
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
